Our insurance requires all CanSkaters to wear a CSA-approved hockey helmet!

No other helmet is acceptable!

Look for the sticker on either side of the helmet, behind the ear. If the helmet does not have an intact, readable CSA sticker, it’s not acceptable for CanSkate.

If the manufacture date is more than 5 years ago, the helmet has expired and cannot be used for CanSkate.

The helmet must be in good condition and have no missing or damaged parts

Recreational skates are also fine

Sharpen your skates before the first time you skate, and after every 40 hours of skating

Buying advice:

• For quickly-growing children, used hockey skates will be the least expensive option, and are perfectly acceptable, particularly if the child wants to play hockey. If your child wants to figure skate, start them on figure skates.

• For teens and adults, figure skates and recreational skates are easier to learn on than hockey skates. (Hockey skates are built for agility—which is another way of saying they aren’t very stable.) If you aren’t planning to play hockey, figure skates are your best choice.

• Regardless of the type, skates should fit snugly at the front (your toes should just touch the front of the skate).

• If the top of the foot is bulging out from the boot when you tie them, you need a deeper skate. That may mean trying a different brand. You don’t want the laces crushing the top of your foot—it can cause lasting pain (“lace bite”). Some popular brands tend to be particularly hard on wide feet and high arches.

• Skates won’t be super comfortable until you get used to them, but they really shouldn’t hurt your foot. If they do, you probably need a different skate.

Gloves or mittens are essential

Warm layers that allow movement

Nothing trailing on the ground

A cloth to dry off blades

Hard skate guards to wear while walking around

Soft guards to protect blades in transit. These will also absorb moisture to reduce risk of rusting blades.